Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Community Board 3 officials learned last Thursday during a committee meeting that the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will use part of 10th Street west of First Avenue to park garbage trucks.

By Saturday, new street signs had arrived [per a resident, the signs arrived a few weeks back. See comments], restricting the parking on part of 10th Street west toward Second Avenue to the Department of Sanitation. The trucks arrived on Saturday as well.

[Top two photos by Steven]

[Photo from Saturday]

Everyone was seemingly caught off guard by this parking development, including the Community Board, local business owners and residents.

"There was no discussion or outreach. We are still gathering information on this issue," Trever Holland, chair of CB3's Parks, Recreation, & Waterfront Committee, told me via email. "Most of the questions we asked went unanswered or [the DSNY said] 'we'll get back to you.'"

The DSNY no longer has use of their garage at 606 W. 30th St., and are relocating their fleet elsewhere, including 10th Street and at Pier 36. None of these trucks will be servicing residents within Community Board 3.

"We have very little information from the DSNY, but many, many complaints," CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer said yesterday. "I have never before received so many complaints in such a short time."

In an email, one EVG reader noted: "Over the weekend, three stinky garbage trucks were parked on the block. It was like a wall of stench in front of Pinks and across from Snowdays and Tarallucci e Vino."

Pinks, the bar-restaurant at 242 E. 10th St., is the business most directly impacted by the arrival of the parked trucks.

"I can firmly attest to the fact that Saturday evening the corner of 10th Street and First Avenue is jammed with people, and at that time on Saturdays, Pinks typically has a nice dinner and drinking crowd," said Alex Sassaris, an owner who also bartends on the weekends. "This past Saturday during the same time the bar was practically empty.

"Keep in mind we are a food-service establishment, with the cellar door just a few feet a way from a truck filled with garbage — that's certainly a potential rodent nightmare on our hands."

Rodent potential aside, Sassaris said the trucks parked in front of the bar also present a possible security issue.

"[We are] obstructed from the view of 9th Precinct patrols," he said. "This poses a substantial danger to our patrons and staff for any number of potential threats ... if the police can not have eyes on the bar from the street."

[Image from security footage at Pinks]

Before Theater for the New City moved into its current home at 155 First Ave. near 10th Street in the late 1980s, the Department of Sanitation used the building for storage. As Off the Grid noted in a 2012 feature, "When the Theater for the New City purchased the former First Avenue Retail Market building there was stipulation that they had to still share part of the space with the Sanitation Department for a time."

Apparently there are still facilities for the city to use in the building. According to last week's CB3 committee meeting agenda, Department of Sanitation officials were on-hand to discuss a "reactivation of Section Station at 155-157 First Ave."

It's not immediately clear how long the city plans to park garbage trucks on 10th Street. According to CB3's Holland, sanitation officials said that it will be "temporary" — like five years or longer until they secure a new spot.

"If this is allowed to continue, our business is certainly in jeopardy and all the people we employ could potentially be out of a job," Sassaris said.

--

Updated 9/19

Here's an update from CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer this morning:

I also want to thank the readers who posted information about the trucks. The CB number posted in the comments is not correct — it is a defunct fax number. However, it is not productive to call — we would be doing nothing but answering the phones. Do call 311 and also do submit a "make a complaint" form on the CB website. At this point it would be good to submit only if new information. For example, we just got a complaint through the website that there are now trucks also parking in areas not reserved for the trucks.

CB 3, CB 6 and the council office were informed of this decision shortly before it happened, with little information, and with no input or choice. However, we will be working together to try to have a better resolution.

33 comments:

Well of course the city has decided to use that block as a parking lot, because the actual parking lot is under the end of the high line park and apparently it was to much of affront to the olfactory senses of our beloved tourists who walk on it.

I guess with the toxic silica infestation that is going to smother 14th st between 1st and A, your city feels that no one will mind the perforating putrid stenches that will subsume this block.

Did someone or some group in this district piss the mayor off somehow? Because these unannounced nasty surprises usually happen in areas where citizens protest his policies too much.

Community Board 6 was presented with the same "deal" - they created sanitation parking along Mount Carmel Place (next to Bellevue South Park) and simply announced that they'd be parking there indefinitely with 6-8 trucks and we had no choice in the matter.

A slight correction.. the signage changed about 3 weeks, overnight, without warning.. cars parked in the location were issued tickets, including my car. During this time there may have been 1 or 2 Dept. of Sanitation supervisor vehicles parked. Until this past Saturday when the stench and unsightly trucks arrived.This morning there were 6, the weekend housed 3-5 at any given time.

The amount of garbage already littering our neighborhood streets is disgraceful. I see enough garbage spewed on each corner that when entering and leaving my building do not need a further reminder of this. These trucks do not belong on a residential street and should be moved effective immediately.

As all practical land space is sold off to big money developers who build luxury housing residential neighborhoods now are expected to adopt these displace services which is the same as having a nuclear power plant built in the back yard.

There is nobody in charge of urban planning in this land gold rush. We are being show that we must accept that we are here to swallow shit for the richest.

As a resident of this street, I can't emphasize how terrible this as been in just 4 days. The entire block reeks. There are small dogs and children who have to hop over the trails of sludge and grime that these trucks leave behind (esp. near the corner of 1st and 10th, where every morning is like an obstacle course).

This neighborhood is the best in NYC but has really become a trash nightmare. Now with the arrival of the these trucks, it's prob time to get the f*ck out. I feel bad for the residents (me) and the patrons/staff at Pink's (love those guys). What a rotten deal. Hopefully, it will get settled sooner rather than later.

I used to think that big cities like ours, if you can think of them as entities, do not give a shit about their residents and their happiness. I was so naive. It's worse than that. Big cities like this... want to eat peoples' souls. NYC is almost pure evil at this point.

I encourage everyone to call 311 and then go to the Community Board 3 website to file an additional complaint and to the Dept. of Sanitation.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TODAY! Please submit complaints to all 3 of the city agencies below:

311: First line of defense is to have everyone file a complaint with 311. Once you receive the complaint number, go the Community Board 3 website, and file a complaint (see below).

Community Board 3, 59 East 4th Street212.533.3659info@cb3manhattan.org – to register a complaint: At their Home page view the menu on the left side of the page, and click on the last item “Contact CB3” and follow the prompts to lodge a complaint.

Submit a complaint to Dept of Sanitation: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildos.html

311: Once you receive the complaint number, go the Community Board 3 website, and file a complaint (see below).

Community Board 3, 59 East 4th Street212.533.3659info@cb3manhattan.org – to register a complaint: At their Home page view the menu on the left side of the page, and click on the last item “Contact CB3” and follow the prompts to lodge a complaint.

Submit a complaint to Dept of Sanitation: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildos.html

You have to ask: what happened to the 30th Street parking lot? Mayor Bill sell it for lux housing and 20 moderate apts? ONE PARTY RULE allows this to happen. There is no one to protect us from these arbitrary moves. The City would never do this to the Upper East, West, Chelsea, West Village and Tibeca. But the EV? Oh, why not. Carlina Rivera can be bought with a press release about the City buying PS 64. RECALL! RECALL!! RECALL!!!

Does anyone have an email for the community board to write them concerns? My Fiance and I own a small business on this street and are very concerned about the impact this may have on foot traffic for the block. About 40% of our business are walk ins.

This is what happens when people don't think before they vote, when it's all controlled by one political party. There may be a few Democrat Socialist in office soon. I was surprised when the corrupt Bill De Blasio was elected into office for a second term. I guess people do get the government they deserve.

I would like to encourage everyone impacted by this issue to follow the complaint procedure described by our Anonymous friends above. It took me no more than 10 minutes to call 311, get a complaint number and then submit online complaints to CB3 and the Department of Sanitation.

I also intend to call some elected officials.

Hopefully if enough people push back on this we can end this ridiculous situation.

It was reported last night on CBS that the sanitation Dept. notified the council member of each district where trucks were to be parked A MONTH AGO. A MONTH AGO! Well, I guess you know who was a l-i-t-t-l-e too busy to read her emails. ONE PARTY RULE... CARLINA MUST GO.

The one party rule, recall and all caps responses aren't helpful. The ones that state how to actually file a complaint and call for letter writing campaigns are the most useful. Follow those if you want to get involved instead of ranting.

This is so surreal. As a tourist I can’t believe the lack of concern by the elected OFFICIALS that this nightmare is causing the residents and the business owners of the immediate sight of these ungastly huge dirty, smelly SANITATION TRUCKS !!! There are rats lurking on your NYC streets with no food or trash. I don’t want to think the impact of the rats with this disaster!!!! I would even question health issues associated with this danger. Come on New Yorker’s. Screw the mayor’s office. Hit the big leagues!! The SENATORS ,THE GOVERNOR go directly to the STATE OFFICIALS !!! This is not a REPUBLICAN or DEMOCRAT issues. These are people’s lives, their businesses and residents lives , children are being affected as well. You people voted these clowns in then go above them!!! Complaining to the Sanitation officials is a waste of time.

You're a troll for Rivera.Pols don't read their emails. Did she read the one sent to her a month ago from the Dept. of Sanitation? Rivera is afraid of a news service picking up the recall comment. I'll keep ranting. You keep emailing.

Fliers to all apt building front doors so that when new NYU trust fund kids hunt for apts in this neighborhood, they know what their $3500 per month is going to buy them. Mayhem, pollution and health problems. That ought to drop the rent by a few hundred...

I have lived on 10th St for 25 years and have never seen this here, or in any other residential neighborhood in the city. The CB must do something about this ASAP!! DSNY thinks this will blow over and they will just keep parking there. CB3 has a good relationship with DSNY and must find a better solution.

I was standing out in front of Tarallucci E Vino this evening and there was a faint but distinct smell of ripe garbage wafting down the block. And those trucks look really gross and dirty parked right there in front of Pinks.

Question: What major city that’s almost 400 years old does not even have the basic infrastructure in place to handle it’s own garbage? The answer is, only New York City. This has got to be fixed.

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